My original intention was not to comment on another pejorative dismissal of Representative Justin Amash by Congressman Ehlers. However, I can’t let it slide.

According to the Grand Rapids Press, Congressman Ehlers has a freshly printed Steve Heacock sign in his yard. When asked, yet again, about his feelings on the race, the Congressman stated that Heacock and State Senator Bill Hardiman are the only candidates with enough experience to step into the job immediately.

Nothing against the Congressman, Heacock, or Bill Hardiman, but this comment is laughable. Rep. Amash has served the 72nd District well, distinguished himself as the leading freshman legislator in the state house, and maintained a principled voting record. Additionally, Rep. Amash has received national attention (here, here, and here) for his efforts to maintain an unprecedented level of information available for his constituents and followers on Facebook.

Honestly, it is incredible to assert that this track record is insufficient or that any other candidate possesses experience more relevant to preparing one to be an effective, conservative member of the House.

It is not Rep. Amash’s experience with which the Congressman has a problem. It is Amash’s conservative record and independent streak. Indeed, the Sierra Club has not been fawning over the Representative. Also, the Congressman probably has a personal issue with Rep. Amash because Amash announced his candidacy before the Congressman decided to retire. These are the only reasonable conclusions.

It may be more polite to suggest Rep. Amash lacks experience, but it is, nonetheless, disingenuous.
http://www.redcounty.com/not-enough-experience-congressman-ehlers-wrong-rep-amash/40725

Heacock has the support of the establishment politician. Vern "Bailout" Ehlers voting record is riddled with votes for special interests and on the rare occasion he gives a reason for why he voted a certain way, his reason is almost always completely unprincipled and convuluted.

He voted for the auto bailout "to bring jobs to michigan". I'm still waiting for those jobs...

Even when he votes in favor of liberty he does it for convoluted reasons that conflict with other votes he's made. Ehlers has always been a politician with no principals and little integrity...he has no understanding of how markets work, he's been nothing more than politics as usual.

If you can't tell, I strongly dislike Ehlers. I've lived in Michigan's 3rd district my entire life and I'm glad to see Ehlers FINALLY retire. THE LAST THING I want is another NEO CON like him to get elected. If Ehlers is supporting heacock then thats enough reason for me to never vote for heacock.

/rant

For those interested, here is Vern Ehlers cookie cutter response to my email asking him not to vote for the bank bailouts. You'll notice he lacks the most basic understanding of how markets function.

Today, the House of Representatives failed to pass important legislation to protect American families and businesses from a potential collapse of our financial system. I voted in favor of this legislation since our nation is facing a major financial crisis, and we must act.

This bill represents the first step, and Congress needs to look at other approaches to rescue our economy. I want to be very clear that this bill did not "bail out" Wall Street; it would have helped taxpayers, families and individuals in West Michigan who could be severely harmed by a breakdown in the financial system. We urgently need to restore solvency to our country's financial system.

The consequences of inaction could rival the Great Depression of the 1930s: Credit cards not working, employers going out of business because they are unable to borrow money, and employees not receiving paychecks. I also fear that inaction will lead to suffering at smaller community banks. Congress must work in a bipartisan manner in renewed efforts to find a solution. Partisanship has no place in this debate; the stakes are far too high.

The problem we face today stems primarily from home mortgages, which lost value during the decline in the housing market. These mortgage-backed assets allow banks to lend money to businesses and consumers. The bill considered today would have authorized the federal government to acquire those troubled assets, to allow financial institutions to resume lending, and avoid a widespread breakdown in America's financial system.

I thought this bill was a good start. I worked with fellow House Republicans to include several measures to protect taxpayers from the risks associated with the government purchasing troubled assets from financial institutions. The bill we voted on today would have established a guarantee program to insure the costs of purchasing these assets against potential losses. It also created oversight panels to be sure federal money was being spent in the most responsible manner possible, and it would have prevented financial executives from walking away from the disaster they helped create with large, unearned bonuses.

I understand many people in West Michigan are very concerned with this situation, especially considering our state's struggling economy. Today's vote was the first step in the process of restoring our financial system and protecting American families and businesses, and I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create a solution.